Black and Orange Rainbows
by TheSilverHunt3r
Summary: Reigen's hand trembled. He took a breath and focused on keeping it steady. He didn't want any of his lines crooked, else the seal might not work. Psychic!Reigen.


Summary: Reigen's hand trembled. He took a breath and focused on keeping it steady. He didn't want any of his lines crooked, else the seal might not work. Psychic!Reigen.

Balsamic Vinaigrette City  
Eighteen years ago

Arataka Reigen was unusual. He was naturally talented at many things. His silver tongue was apparent from the moment you met him. He could talk his way into and out of many tough situations. He was a smart student, who quickly picked up whatever was being taught.

But one gift of his was unusual, such an uncommon talent that it made him an oddity simply by having it. He was an esper, and a rather good one at that. He was good because he was naturally talented at using it. He used his powers for many things, from dealing with bullies to exorcising bothersome ghosts.

XXX

Balsamic Vinaigrette City High School  
About ten years ago

100% Indecisive

Reigen stared at the page. He was supposed to write about his future. About what he wanted-a career, maybe the place he wanted to live, marriage...

But what to say?

His future was unwritten, as undecided as the words on his pure white page were.

What did he want? He didn't want to be normal. He never could be normal, not with his powers. Or, could he hide them? Pretend to be normal? He didn't want to not be able to use them either.

So then what did he want to be? He didn't want to be famous. He didn't want to be powerful. He didn't want to be normal, just a face in the crowd either.

So then what did he want to be?

With a solemn look, he carefully wrote his simple wish:

I want to be somebody.

XXX

Balsamic Vinaigrette City  
Nine years ago

100% Fear  
100% Guilt

Fear and regret was pulsing through his veins, heightened by every beat of his heart.

He sat on the floor. His chest was bare. Two antique glass jars of paint-black and orange were beside him. In his hand was a paintbrush.

Blood and death swam through his head. That was why he was resorting to this, he reminded himself. He clenched his teeth.

He started with orange, bold confident strokes and large design making this part quick. A large circle around his stomach. A smaller one around his heart, ringed by another circle that brushed up against the one around his stomach. He put two sets of symbols in the middle of the first two circles. Over his stomach was 'suppress'. Over his heart were 'despair' and 'release'.

He could feel his powers, humming, at the edge of his awareness. He pushed them back.

Reigen's hand trembled. He took a breath and focused on keeping it steady. He didn't want any of his lines crooked, else the seal might not work.

His body ached, the deep muscle ache one got after serious physical exercise. Or, after using his psychic powers to their full extent.

Blood and death and pain.

That was why he had to do this.

He put down his orange brush and picked up the one with black paint. He paused, restraining his emotions and reminding himself of which symbols to paint.

On the inner rim of each circle, he put symbols in black. Symbols like 'restrain', 'restrict', 'contain'...With each one, he could feel his power lessen. It was like a wave, slowly receding from a beach, back into a large unknown, unfelt sea.

Finally, he drew a line around the two large circles. He dragged a hand through carrot colored hair and laughed. It was a laugh of relief, of lack of worry, of freedom. It was a celebration that he was not caged to his emotions any longer, it was perfectly fine for him to get angry, and disappointed, and frustrated if he wanted to.

'That'...'That Event' would never happen again.

100% Conviction

XXX

Seasoning City  
Eight years ago

He had had a regular job. But he couldn't stay there anymore, he had to disappear as much as possible. He settled on being an exorcist. Which was ironic, since when he had powers he had a normal job, but now that he's normal, he has an odd job.

The first thing he bought was a large jar of salt. He went to a local priest he knew and got it blessed.

Then he tested out a question of his. Did you need powers to make working seals? He used up the rest of his black ink and tested some basic wards at a haunted construction site.

He worked on several skills, particularly massaging.

Reigen had an idea of what he wanted his business to be like. Spirits and Such Consultation would exorcise spirits and help gullible people who didn't have any supernatural troubles.

Business started to trickle in after several days of advertising in the streets. He was barely making enough, but he was glad. He was genuinely helping people and couldn't hurt anyone.

XXX

Seasoning City  
Six years ago

"Mr. Reigen! Come for some herbs?"

He smiled goodnaturedly. "Yeah, I had another idea. I'm dealing with a bad spirit and need an extra kick to make sure he stays away."

The Katsui Apothecary was well stocked. It had become his favorite place for exorcism materials.

He exited with several packets of wrapped herbs.

Back in his office, he started mixing some of the plants together. He had the idea for a binding object he could use on spirits a long time. But, he had finally thought of a regular looking object he could have on him that wouldn't be too unusual.

After some research on herbs used for binding and diy cigarettes, he was ready to try.

His first batch almost got him killed. He couldn't see ghosts anymore, but he could feel the rush of cold air that went past his head.

He figured out that he had spread out the smoke too much. He needed to use them to cover the area the ghost is in.

The second batch of the brown colored cigarettes was successful against a large spirit. After capturing it, Reigen used a seal to exorcist it.

The second mix failed when Reigen couldn't pinpoint a small, quick ghost. He received multiple books to the face. After muttering a string of curses, he managed to bind the spirit by putting a seal on the underside of a rug.

He figured that the problem was after the smoke left his mouth he couldn't control it. But there wasn't anything to be done about it. He didn't have any powers.

It didn't stop him from researching a possible way to do it. He ended up with an odd herb connected to vague old myths and telekinetic powers.

After continued practice and six bruises, he could use the purple smoke to form wispy chains that bound even high level spirits fine.

XXX

Seasoning City  
Four years ago

Mob was the most surprising person Reigen met.

He hadn't expected a psychic kid to walk in his door, a kid who claimed to struggle with his powers just like Reigen had.

So Reigen told the kid what he wished someone had told him years ago. That your powers didn't make you different or special in some way. He gave the heartfelt but sincere platitude of "just be a good person".

He wanted the kid to walk out the door. He wanted his past to stay dead. He wanted to wake up tomorrow and convince himself that the kid who had walked in his office was lying, knowingly or unknowingly.

Then the kid, Mob, used his powers. The tea flowed back into the cups and settled on the table.

Reigen rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Alright kid." He grinned and dramatically gave a thumbs up, "I, Arataka Reigen will teach you how to use your powers." The kid's poker face turned hopeful and his nervous fidgeting stopped. "Stop by the office after school tomorrow, okay?"

XXX

Seasoning City  
Three years ago

The kid had become a sort of part time employee. He always showed up after school for a few hours, until he was called home for dinner.

Mob was kind of underpaid, Reigen admitted to himself. When the kid was older and could officially work at Spirits and Such, he'd get a pay raise.

Reigen used the spirits as training. Mob learned control, the amount of power needed to exorcise ghosts of different power levels. Reigen told Mob to think of it like when you chop food. It takes a lot of power to cut meat, compared to vegetables.

Mob was a powerful esper. He already knew barriers, exorcisms, telekinesis...Reigen couldn't teach him a lot there.

But, Mob had a lot of trouble controlling his powers because of his emotions. He may look like an apathetic person. But that was his poker face, a product of his attempt to bottle everything up. Under that mask lay a swirling pool of emotions-anger, confusion, jealousy, love, gratitude...Because of this, Reigen's advice was more practical and general. It was more like he was giving life-and-how to-handle-social-situations advice.

Once Mob proved himself easily able to take care of smaller spirits, Reigen slowly started to edge up the power scale of the ghost jobs they took. There was never any trouble.

Reigen didn't even have to use his cigarettes, which was good because he'd tried to stop smoking. He had read some articles about how second-hand smoking affected the lungs of children and teenagers. And aside from that, he was trying to be a good mentor and role model. Which meant not being a bad influence on his student.

47% Pride

XXX

Seasoning City  
Present Day

The trials of life left marks on everyone. They ranged from mental to physical.

Reigen pulled the covers off of himself reluctantly and grabbed his phone to turn off his alarm. After a quick stretch of his arms and a yawn, he gets up.

He tried not to look at it. He tried not to remind himself of it. But, he still couldn't stop himself from checking the seal when he buttoned up his shirt.

The orange and black stood out boldly against his lightly tanned skin. The seal was the same, no change. No change at all.

XXX

Reigen was a bit concerned when Mob didn't show up. His student didn't have the Body Improvement club today, right?

He checked the calender. No. Mob should be here.

He called Mob's parents, to see if Mob was sick. Although, usually Mob called him if there was problem and he couldn't help out. Maybe Mob was just really sick and had fallen asleep before being able to message Reigen?

Reigen had built an amiable relationship with both of Mob's parents.

Mr. Kageyama picked up.

After a polite exchange, he got to the point of his call. "Is Mo-Shigeo, there?" Reigen questioned. "I was concerned, since he didn't show up today and has always contacted me about not being able to come before."

"Shigeo? No, he's not here." Mr. Kageyama hummed, thoughtfully. "Ritsu is gone too," he added. "They're probably just hanging out somewhere and forgot to call."

"Yeah, you're right," Reigen agreed. He engaged in small talk for a minute and ended the call.

Yeah, no. He was a bit suspicious. For all Ritsu was hot tempered and impulsive, he was also very studious and considerate of his parents. For both of Kageyama brothers to be unavailable, it was suspicious.

He activated the parent mode on his phone to check the tracker in Mob's.

Reigen's eyebrows shot up. Mob's location was...in some forest? Mob was up to something or had been dragged into something. Either way, his student was definitely in trouble...

Time to call a cab, so he could go to the middle of nowhere and figure out what was going on.

XXX

Fortunately for the Kageyama brothers, Reigen was talented at lying. It was easy for him to tell their parents a story about Ritsu and Mob staying over at a friend's house. He then sent the three espers off to go stay the night at Teru's. "Have fun, make it a sleepover, or something," he suggested.

XXX

The fight against those espers, Claw, had gone better then he expected. All the kids were safe. Aside from that one old guy, all the enemies had mostly unhurt and had their perspective on their powers changed.

78% Happiness  
23% Concern

It had been invigorating, to feel that level of power again.

He froze, his shirt half way off his torso, exposing his stomach. He pulled it off all the way, eyes wide with horror.

The outermost line of the seal had disappeared.

It was likely because of Mob's brief transfer of psychic power.

Reigen reached for his abilities, trying to determine if it had any severe effect on the seal. There was really nothing. A spoonful or two of water, only the slightest more than what non-psychic humans had. That was fine. He couldn't hurt any one, but he could see spirits again. Maybe it's a good thing? Since he seemed to be surrounded by psychic children lately.

XXX

As it turned out, yes, he could see spirits again.

Reigen had struck an uneasy alliance with the Dimple, a green ghost and the new addition. More out of boredom then anything else, Dimple started helping out with Spirits and Such while Mob and Ritsu were in school.

XXX

Teru was an interesting kid. Reigen had already heard about him from Mob, after they had fought and Mob had destroyed a school.

"Any reason you're here?"

Teru's grip on his school bag shifted, showing his unease. His tall blond wig had been shorn down to a normal length by that Claw member. "I thought I should thank you for your help," he carefully said. He gave a low bow and stood there awkwardly for a moment.

Sensing his visitor's mood, Reigen took charge. "You want some tea?" He asked, standing up from his desk.

"Umm, sure." After a moment he clarified, "Thanks."

Reigen nodded and started busting himself with getting some hot water.

Teru sat at the small table by the wall and waited. He watched the man-higeo's Master, he reminded himself-make tea. Although, Reigen didn't seem have an aura of any sort, he definitely did during the Claw fight.

"Here you go," Reigen said, putting a cup in front of Teru. He sat down, a small smile on his face. "So, is there a reason you're here, besides that?"

"Yes." Teru tensed up. Although Reigen had saved his life, he still didn't fully trust the man.

Reigen smiled at him. It was a warm, comforting smile, that eased the knot of wariness and fear in Teru's chest. "Ask away. A friend of Mob's is a friend of mine."

XXX

"What's in there?" Dimple asked, curious.

The closet in the massage room held a cabinet. There were jars of blessed salt, a crate of finished protection tags and his sealing tools, and several miscellaneous supernatural related objects.

"Just some exorcism things," Reigen replied flippantly. He hoped the green spirit would just get bored and leave it alone, but either way it didn't really matter.

Dimple grunted. He tried to phase through the wooden door. He was thrown back out, accompanied by sparks.

"I guess those tags I bought worked," Reigen stated, straight faced. The edges of his lips curled up into a smile for a split second, unnoticed by Dimple.

100% Amused

XXX

Ritsu was simply described as protective yet jealous. He had a severe hatred of Reigen, which made interacting with him a bit taxing.

Reigen took all of the boy's salty comments with the confidence and exasperation of an adult cat that's being hissed at by an unruly kitten.

XXX

The Mogami situation was...unexpected.

Reigen trusted Mob. He still did. But that didn't mean he wasn't worried.

According to Dimple, the time Mob had spent in the fake world was about six months.

Mob was...more quiet. It wouldn't be noticeable for anyone who didn't spend a lot of time with him. Because Mob was usually pretty quiet. Reigen could tell the difference, four years of spending the afternoon together on exorcism jobs had given him a lot of time to analyze his apprentice's behavior. He also saw the restrained flinching-when they passed a large group of people-and the dark bags forming under Mob's eyes.

81% Concern

Reigen decided to do something about it.

When Mob came in the next day, he was greeted by the smell of tea. "Master?"

"Ah, Mob. Want some tea?" Reigen offered. He was sitting at the small table that he had shoved against the room to create more space for his desk.

"Thank you," the young teenager quietly replied as he sat down. Mob stared at the pottery cup full of green tea. After a few moments of hesitation, he picked up the cup and took a careful sip.

Reigen waited a few seconds. "Mob," he carefully prompted.

"Yes?"

"Is there something you'd like to talk to me about?"

Mob's eyes darkened. His small smile quickly turned to a neutral line. "What do you mean?"

Reigen hummed. "Well, I just thought I'd check to see if there's something you'd like to tell me," he casually pryed. "As in, something you need to tell someone. Perhaps something you need to get off your chest?" His eyes were soft. His hands weren't gesturing at usual, instead they were kept at his side.

Mob froze. His grip tightened around the cup of tea. It was a good thing he was physically weak, or he might have shattered the pottery with how he clenched onto it.

Reigen almost sighed. It looked like Mob wasn't budging. It was best to be direct now. "Mob, please tell me. What happened to you in the fake world?"

Mob stared at his mentor. Did he trust him? What was with that thought...He hadn't trusted the Reigen in the fake world. But this Reigen, the real Reigen? He took a shaky breath, reminded of his need for oxygen. His eyes started to tear up. Of course. Of course he did. How could he question whether or not to tell his mentor, who was staring at him with such concern?

Alarmed, Reigen got up and came around the table. "Mob?"

As the tears spilled down and the story were blurted out, Reigen held the sobbing young teenager. Even as the office furniture floated and lazily turned in the air. Reigen's focus was on his apprentice and the frantic, pained words coming from him.

Minutes later, the furniture crashed to the floor. Reigen wiped the tears from Mob's face. "Thank you for telling me," he murmured and briefly crushed the young teenager in a bear hug before letting go.

XXX

Reigen had, well, screwed up. Mob and him had cut ties. But, oddly, things were better...after he got drunk and threw up in an alley way once.

He started doing more. Cleaning up the city, counseling, teaching classes on entrepreneur and sales basics, and live streaming exorcisms.

To fill the gap of an active psychic, Ritsu and Teru had started helping out.

XXX

Reigen brought a camera and several ready made seals-applicable for up to mid tier level-each time he did live exorcisms.

Sometimes he would do regular jobs, figure out the problem someone had. As usual, sometimes it was a default everyday problem, but other times it was a ghost. He could handle those fine.

Then came the first time he decided to explore, like some of those paranormal investigators in YouTube. He had watched some videos and wanted to try it out.

Reigen went to an abandoned house that was supposed to have several murders committed in it. He stepped around piles of rubble. He peeked around corners. He made note of the graffiti covering the wall. There were satanic symbols interspersed between the innocent 'insert name was here' drawn by high school and college students killing time. He kept up a running commentary, trying to convince his viewers that he was scared.

He wasn't.

Then a large purple ghost showed up in his face. It was a spider with what seemed to be sixty eyes and a large grin, a grin framed by purple pincers. He didn't like the look in it's eyes. He swore and shot down the hallway.

46% Shock

The thud of legs would have been comforting. Instead, he heard a sort of soft clattering cacophony, of mange spider legs on the ceiling.

He saw the end of the hallway. Except...it was a dead end, not a doorway. He had run the wrong way.

15% Fear  
16% Fear  
18% Fear  
24% Fear

He was stuck. He couldn't climb out of the windows either, they were all boarded up. He didn't have the time to seal it. He didn't want to die either.

2% Hope

Well, he had...quit smoking. But he always carried around one or two of his special kind of cigarettes. He pulled a cigarette out, along with a lighter.

100% Hope  
100% Determination

His camera hit the floor with a soft thud, slowly slipping down a pile of rubble.

He flicked his lighter on, holding it to the end of the cigarette, praying it would light.

He skidded to a halt. His right foot hit the wall in the dead end. He kept the cigarette end to the flame, hoping.

If this didn't light. Well, he was probably dead. He would give his business to Mob and nothing to Dimple, that lousy spirit. Wait, did Reigen have a will? If he survived, he was going to need to make one. But if he didn't, he would need to come back as a ghost and sort out what happens to his estate. He snorted. What type of unfinished business was that? It sounded like the thing a boring square businessman would do.

He almost laughed as he caught the brown end of his cigarette catching fire, turning a burnt gold and red. He put it to his lips.

Probably the only good thing about ghosts was that no matter what type, they always glowed some color-pale blue, grass green, pink, etc. Like malevolent night lights.

Being the supernatural equivalent of an evil jack-o-lantern, it wasn't hard to see where a ghost was the dark.

He looked up. The spider was above him, on the ceiling. One of it's pincers was only a foot away from his face.

He smirked as he blew out a thin rope of glowing purple smoke. It twisted quickly, curling around the spider several times. The ghost spider chittered angrily, trying to move it's bound limbs. It's eyes reflected the light of the cigarette and lighter eerily.

Reigen shuddered. Spiders were almost as bad as cockroaches. He put out his cigarette, crushing it under his shoe. A wisp of purple smoke came out, then faded away. He turned off his lighter and slipped it back into his pocket.

He forced some cheer into his voice. "Alright guys, I just caught a ghost. And now I'm going to exorcise it. I use a purification spell to do it. The larger evil spirits need a larger one for it to work. Unfortunately, I don't have my tools with me." He snapped his fingers and turned the camera towards himself. "Alright guys, I figured out what I'm going to do. I saw a spray can out there, someone left it."

He walked under the ghost spirit to the living room. His flashlight was surprisingly not damaged. He picked up the spray can and came back.

"Okay, so the spirit is on the ceiling. I don't know how exactly we're going to do this. I don't have a ladder." He hummed thoughtfully. "Any ideas guys?" He asked, pulling out his phone to check the chat.

"Oh? Yeah, I guess I could try to move the spirit, its a spider by the way." He put his phone away, a considering look on his face. "I'll have to use another cigarette. Oh, and don't smoke kids, this is part of the exorcism, not for fun or anything. I made these myself, they're pretty good quality, good even against high tier ghosts." As he rambled, he shook the can of paint.

He would do the seal on the ground. Then put the ghost on top of the seal. This way, he didn't have to try and draw the seal around the spider, that wouldn't work well.

He pulled out another cigarette and his lighter. Reigen sent out another long wisp of purple smoke. The tail of it wrapped around the spider, pulling the ghost down to the ground.

With a flash of multicolored lights, the ghost was gone.

Reigen smiled and picked up the camera again. "Alright guys, this is Reigen, the world's best psychic' signing off after exorcising a visit at an abandoned house. See you guys next time!"

XXX

98% Fear  
17% Despair

He had f*cked up. Again. Big time. He hadn't caught the trap on the tv show, it had all been an act. Him, a conman, had been conned.

Now, with constant accusations of being a fraud and his reputation ruined, he was holding a press conference.

The questions asked by many voices blended together.

18% Despair  
19% Despair

"Do you have any evidence of being a psychic?"

36% Despair  
37% Despair  
38% Despair

"You can smoke, sure. Anyone can do that. Do you have anything else?"

48% Despair  
50% Despair  
53% Despair

He would just let people think he was fraud. That was fine. He could do other things, move to a different city. He felt his eyes tear up.

A bitter smile almost curled onto his face. It was ironic, that his biggest problem when he sealed his powers is that he wasn't a psychic.

The reporters started to hurl questions ferociously at him.

74% Despair  
75% Despair  
76% Despair  
77% Despair  
78% Despair  
79% Despair  
81% Despair

Mob, Mob who he had hurt by careless words. Mob...who was no longer the little elementary school student, who was now a young teen, who would soon be a young man.

82% Despair  
18% Nostalgia

He pulled out his memories of the past few years. "Mob, you've grown up so much, you know?" He said with a soft smile.

Then the reporters shrieked as their cameras and bags started to float towards the ceiling.

0% Despair

Reigen almost laughed. A smirk tugged his lips up as the reporters frantically asked him if he knew what was going on. 'Thanks for the help Mob.'

XXX

65% Despair

"Mob...do you know? I'm not a psychic, not anymore," Reigen said. His hands were still, an unnatural stillness for him.

"Anymore?" Mob asked. His brows were furrowed slightly, a bit of confusion on his usual poker face.

"Well," Reigen paused. His eyes focused on the table. "You could say...I decided to lock that knife in a cabinet and use my other knives."

Mob's face was blank. "Why?"

88% Despair

Reigen hesitated. "Because it was less dangerous. I probably would still have my powers if...something hadn't gone horribly horribly bad. If I hadn't down something horribly bad." Reigen felt the urge to scrub at his face, he felt something dripping down his cheeks. He swiped a hand across his face, the liquid was clear-tears-not the red he had been dreading.

Mob smiled slightly. His hair shifted as he tilted his head hot I meet his mentor's eyes. "What I know is what I've have always known...my Master is a good person."

0% Despair  
100% Relief

"Mob..." Reigen trailed off. "Thank you." He grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Hey, want to go grab some ramen?"

XXX

Reigen sat on the couch in the secret hideout. He had ended up as the leader of the psychic anti-Claw movement. He wasn't on board at first, but after an...informative call to his insurance company, he decided to catch the person responsible for razing his office in a fire. It was because he wished to not let criminal psychics get away with wrongdoings and world domination. It had nothing to do with not being able to claim his insurance without the culprit.

There was a thought plauging his mind-should he try to unseal his powers? He could always seal himself again.

He shook his head. His common sense kicked in. He couldn't release it just because he wanted to. The seal didn't work that way.

Reigen sighed, leaning back into the couch. If he couldn't use his powers, he would completely shield the small bit he had. He could do that at least. Then he wouldn't show up to any psychics searching for psychic energy.

XXX

After their latest fight with Claw, Reigen had gained another employee. Former Claw member Serizawa.

The guy used to have curly hair, but had switched to a different hairstyle, shorter, more professional looking. He used to be a nervous wreck, but now was more calm and a bit snarky.

Serizawa was handy around the office, not the best socially, but a good exorcist.

XXX

Shou occasionally popped up. Him and Teru got on alright, but his very existence seemed to agitate Ritsu.

Shou and Reigen...Well. The first time they had an actual conversation, on a regular day? Shou tried to press his boundaries, tried to cross a line and see how Reigen would react.

But Reigen was a conman. He knew how people worked, usually. He spent the entire conversation calmly deflecting loaded personal questions-"Why the heck did you ever become an exorcist without powers?" "Oh, I just saw a magazine and thought it would be fun."-and ignoring rude comments. He spent almost the entire conversation with a smile on his face. Each time Shou scowled, Reigen's expression briefly edged towards a smirk.

The conversation was interrupted by the door opening.

Reigen left his desk, walking over to greet them. "Mob, Ritsu, Teru, how'd school go?" Reigen asked.

Mob's blank expression lit up, the way it always did around Reigen. "It was good. I did alright on my test."

"Oh, your English test?" It went well? That's good." Reigen smiled proudly at his apprentice.

Ritsu grumbled something under his breath.

Reigen wisely refused to comment.

Teru smiled pleasantly at the man. "Good. Nothing really happened all day, so it was a bit boring."

"Hmm. That's definitely the problem with school, it's pretty boring..but also Unfortunately important." Reigen shrugged, a smile on his face.

Shou looked at them, a calculating look on his face. He sighed, muttering, "Okay, you're alright." Sou then grinned and waved to the other teenagers, announcing his presence. He slung an arm around Ritsu's shoulders. "Hey guys."

XXX

Spirits and people-their souls stood out to sensor espers or above mid-tier espers.

Some ghosts could hide their presence, in the same way espers could learn to. No one but the most vigilant espers would be able to detect the ghost squirreled away. He was waiting for someone, waiting for his target to be alone.

The psychic employees of Spirits and Such Consultation streamed out of the door. Reigen stayed behind, coming out behind his desk. He stretched his arms out above his head, cracking the bones in his spine. With the recent large growth of his business, he had to manage an absurd amount of things as the owner.

His yawn was cut in half-Reigen choked. His hands trembled. "How?" He asked, his voice cracked.

45% Dread  
20% Sadness

The ghost stood near Reigen. His appearance was that of a male teenager with short black hair. "Hello Arataka." There was a malicious smile on his lips.

Reigen forced a smile on his lips, wiping the nervousness from his posture. "Ah, Takeo. It's been a while, how are you doing?" He casually asked.

He immediately sprinted for the door. Reigen flung the it open, dashing through with surprising speed.

Takeo scowled and flew after his target.

Reigen ran across the street, disregarding the few drivers on their way home from work. People honked their horns and yelled at him.

There was the park entrance. It was a small park for children, a dark green metal playground that was almost always abandoned.

He skidded to a halt. His legs would start to hurt soon. He really was glad he had started exercising more after helping Mob train for the marathon. Reigen wiped his sweaty forehead with his blazer.

The adrenaline was still roaring through his veins. He could feel every pound of his heart. Reigen wasn't stupid enough to believe he lost Takeo. Not that he was trying to, he just wanted to not have his office be destroyed. He doubted his insurance company would accept "destroyed by a vengeful ghost" as an explanation.

Getting paranoid, Reigen started looking for Takeo. He turned around in a circle, studiously observing the wooden chips, peeling paint, abundant weeds, and clouded sky. He reached for his phone, straining the little bit of psychic power out to sense his foe.

His phone hit the ground. He had to drop it to dodge. A slice of psychic energy cut through where he stood only a split second ago. He rolled to the left and then to the right, acting off the lightest bit of spiritual presence he felt. The grass and weeds that took the psychic attacks were gone, leaving two patches of dirt, like scars in the earth.

Reigen scrambled to his feet. "How nice of you to help them out. I didn't know you took up gardening," he causally joked. He swung his head back and forth, looking for the ghost. Nothing. He slipped out his lighter and a special cigarette.

Takeo formed in front of him. The ghost's eyes bored into his.

73% Guilt  
40% Sadness  
10% Despair

Reigen froze, the cigarette almost close enough to be lit. His cheerful demeanor was gone, leaving behind only blatant guilt and sorrow. "I'm sorry," he admitted. "I didn't mean to, I always regretted it."

Takeo opened his mouth, a furious look in his eyes.

A psychic attack hit Takeo in the chest. He hissed.

"Teru?" Reigen asked in shock. He almost dropped his lighter.

"I felt a spike of energy nearby." Teru, explained. He shrugged. A yellow psychic aura lazily coated him.

Reigen's shock wore off. He clenched his cigarette in his fist, whirling towards Teru, shouting, "Run!"

"You really care for all of your employees don't you? Especially those little espers," Takeo mused in Reigen's ear. Reigen's lighter was stolen by invisible hands.

Reigen cursed.

The ghost was gone again.

90% Fear  
67% Despair

"Mister Reigen, where did he go?" Teru asked, eyes narrowed. He brushed off the warning, choosing not to flee. He couldn't just go, there was a ghost trying to hurt people. He didn't see the first attack coming.

Reigen's throat clenched up. He couldn't do anything. He could only watch in horror as Teru was brutally pummeled by an invisible opponent.

He couldn't do anything.

89% Despair

He couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything.

95% Despair

He couldn't even do anything when Teru dropped to the ground. Useless. He didn't have his lighter. He didn't have any way to deal Takeo. He couldn't

All Reigen could do was watch.

He couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't do anything.

And when he could do anything, he always messed it up somehow.

99% Despair

He always depended on those around him. Why? Because he was a nobody, he couldn't do anything useful.

Takeo stood over Teru, a satisfied smile on his face. He was watching Reigen's expression.

Reigen cried, eyes fixed to Teru's unconscious form. The kid was dead, wasn't he? And all because of him.

100% Despair

The seal burned for a moment as it melted away.

Takeo was choking him.

Teru gasped and choked. His collar was sticky with blood from a cut on his cheek. He was sore, black and purple bruises already forming on his torso. His fingers tried to scratch at the ghost's hands, but Takeo was a ghost, Teru couldn't touch him.

Reigen's thoughts shifted in that instant. Relief clouded by an overwhelming emotion.

100% Rage

His aura grew quickly. The black spread eagerly among the warm orange like a cancer, a mad dog ready to maul the next passerby.

Reigen's could feel Takeo's smugness and sick delight. He grappled with those feelings, forcing contentment down the ghost's throat with shaking hands and a deep seated loathing he couldn't seem to shake.

Takeo faded. For a moment he was an old photograph exposed to the blazing sun for too long. Then Takeo was gone.

Reigen shivered, the pressure and extra sensory abilities of his powers were unfamiliar now. He pushed and pulled, barely managing to withdraw his aura into a rough circle, about four yards in length.

He ran towards Teru, crouching beside the blond teenager. "Teru, Teru, are you okay?" Reigen could feel shame and frustration emanating from Teru.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Teru said, his voice raspy. He held his tie to his cheek, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Can you stand? Do you need to go to the hospital?" Reigen asked, worried. His own stomach was queasy, unsettled.

Teru used his free hand to pride at his chest, he was bruised, but he hadn't broken a rib so there was that to be thankful for. "I'm...fine. I just feel like I was run over by a truck." Teru finally looked at Reigen. He frowned. "Am I hallucinating? It looks like you have an aura right now."

Reigen chuckled, half hearted. "No, you're not. I got my powers back." He stood up, his face was tilted away from Teru so that the teen couldn't see the bitter smile. "It was really only a matter of time." He reminded himself of the fact that Teru was hurt and replaced the look with his usual cheerful grin. Reigen extended a hand to Teru, leaning in so that he could grab it. Reigen hauled Teru up.

"I have some a medical kit at my apartment," Teru said. He pointedly looked at Reigen's shoulder.

Reigen followed his gaze. A long cut ran along his upper arm, sluggishly bleeding. "Ah, I must have gotten it while dodging."

XXX

Reigen's mind was still buzzing with the unfamiliar senses and feelings. He had gotten used to life a normal human without any psychic powers. He managed to brush it all off for a bit, long enough to patch him and Teru up.

Teru's apartment was nice. Honestly, if Reigen wasn't so tired, he might feel slightly envious.

Reigen closed his eyes, relaxing. The doorbell rang. It felt like he did so for only a few seconds...but looking at the clock, it'd been almost thirty minutes.

Mob, Ritsu, and Serizawa came in. Shou wasn't even in the city.

"I invited them," Teru explained.

"What happened? You guys look horrible," Ritsu bluntly said.

"We were attacked by a ghost." Teru shrugged. "He was pretty powerful."

Mob was tense, his shoulders squared. "Mogami?" He asked.

"No, it wasn't Mogami. It was...what'd you call him Mister Reigen, Takeo?" Teru turned to his fellow witness.

Ritsu frowned, eyes wide. How was there an orange aura...emanating from Reigen? "How the heck do you have powers?"

Dimple was staring at Reigen as well. A twin look of disbelief on his face.

"Haven't I told you? I'm a psychic," Reigen replied. He forced an innocent smile on his face.

Mob was less tense. He looked at Reigen with concern. "Shishou, what happened? How did you know that ghost?"

"Everyone, sit down, please," Reigen suggested. He ran a hand over his face.

Teru date down confidently. Mob and Ritsu squished together to make room for Serizawa to sit down.

"I had broken up with my girlfriend because we were having an argument. Her brother was there. He was an esper-I didn't know that-he lashed out. I was..." angry, sad, panicking, hurting, "...startled. I defended myself. He, Takeo, attacked again. I was scared, so I retaliated. I accidentally killed him. So I locked my powers away, I've always been good at seals." He was rambling, Reigen noted. When had his hands started to shake?

The group was silent.

Mob carefully slid towards Reigen on the couch. He hugged the older man. "It was an accident. It wasn't your fault," he whispered.

Reigen didn't reply.

XXX

Reigen went back to his apartment. He needed to sleep. He wanted to sleep for a long long time.

78% Tired  
79% Tired

He wouldn't mind being in a coma for a week. Maybe then he wouldn't feel like he was only a hairs breadth from breaking every time he breathed.

He unbuttoned his shirt. He stopped.

The orange and black rainbow seal was gone. It had left his torso looking unmarked, as if it was never there. But no, it had been there this morning, only a few hours ago.

He hadn't had his orange aura extending out around him this morning. He hadn't pondered reducing his range so he wouldn't accidentally brush against people's emotions.

The trouble he had grappling with his powers was unusual, they were bigger now and he was rusty, that was proof enough he had sealed them. Everything felt wrong, like how he had felt for a few days after sealing his powers.

Sealing.

Should he seal himself again?

Reigen ran a hand down his face. Reasons for doing it bounced inside of his head, colliding with sharp nos and rebutting arguments. He hated arguing with himself on issues that were important to him personally. Picking a side was too difficult, he could see good points for both.

100% Indecisive

He sighed.

Should he just wait, and see what happens? That seemed like the best best. If he could seal himself at pretty much any time.

XXX

Everyone ignored that day, that story. It didn't matter to them. It was in self defense, to begin with. As for their personal feelings...they were sympathetic. All of them lived with the fear that they would accidentally hurt someone, accidentally killed someone.

The office was a bit different. Reigen's warm orange aura that semed to leak into everything.

Reigen noticed the looks. "I'm having trouble containing my range. My powers didn't stop growing while they were sealed, apparently," he explained. His voice was slightly sheepish.

XXX

He had invited his employees to his apartment after work. They all came.

Shou had been filled in by his friends. Apparently he didn't believe Teru until the Kageyamas vouched for it being true.

Reigen had ordered takeout.

They were scattered around Reigen's coffee table. Teru, Ritsu, and Shou sat on the floor. Teru and Shou shamelessly stole food from each other's bowls, Ritsu shook his head at them. Serizawa calmly ate in an armchair. Mob and Reigen shared the couch. Reigen entertained everyone with dramatic stories.

Reigen took a break to eat. He didn't want his food getting cold.

Ritsu frowned. "Wait, so what are your powers? What can you even do?"

Reigen chuckled slightly. "I'm not a telekinetic psychic. I'm an empath. I deal with emotions, it's different. I can affect how people feel." He shook his head at the wary looks on their faces. "But, I don't do that, unless it's a fight or for an exorcism."

Shou frowned. "So, how can you fight with that?"

"Psychic powers are based off emotion. So for starters, I can suppress or amplify people's powers. Looking into suppressing supernatural energy was how I started sealing." Reigen shrugged.

The topic of Reigen's powers now breached, the questions flooded in. Reigen put down his chopsticks after the ninth one. "I'm going to get some fresh air."

His balcony was small. He leaned on the railing, staring at the abandoned street below and the building with lit rooms across from him.

Dimple popped up beside him. His gaze was incredulous. "You could make anyone who's less powerful then you believe anything. You could make someone fall in love with you. You could make them depressed and lose all motivation to fight you."

Reigen gave a half smile. "It's not right. That's the type of thing that...that's the type of thing I don't want to do, ever again."

Dimple's frustration boiled over. He scowled. "But don't you-"

Reigen interrupted. "Dimple, I don't want to turn the people around me into marionettes with supernatural powers." He sighed. "Why? Well, there was a reason I was given these powers, probably. But there was a reason all humans were given free will, yeah?"

Dimple stared at him, unconvinced. "Fine, fine," he grumbled. It seemed there was no arguing with Reigen-he was a lost cause.

XXX

The office was quiet this morning. Serizawa had taken a day off. The part timers that worked at Spirits and Such Consultation were all students, and therefore in school.

He could feel anger. Something dark and insidious that trailed around his client. But it wasn't a ghost?

The client held a blue velvet box in his hands. He nervously explained why he had come. "My wife inherited this from her great grandmother. But things kept on going wrong."

Ah. Something was cursed. "May I see the item?" Reigen asked.

The client put the box on the desk, opening the lid and turning it around so Regien could see.

Reigen stared at the necklace. It was a pretty thing, made of polished silver and small sapphire stones. It was made less appealing by the heavy aura coming off of it.

Reigen sprinkled salt around for show. He reached out for the necklace, filtering out everything but the feeling of dark wrath emanating from it. He pushed his own feelings into it-love, happiness, and pride.

The curse resisted, coiling it's aura up like a cobra ready to strike.

Reigen frowned. It wasn't working. He reached for the curse again. Instead of just trying to inject his own emotions into the necklace, he also grappled with the anger he could feel there. (It was the imprint of a wrathful person, perhaps the grandmother?) What could he shape it into?

The image of a lake came into his mind. Waves turning into ripples into nothing. Peace...calm. He focused on that image and feeling, grappling with the curse. The anger disappeared, all that was left was calm.

He sat back. A grin on his face. That was mentally exhausting. He was out of practice. "The exorcism is complete," he announced.

XXX

Reigen was holding a New Year's Eve party. But it was the day before New Year's Eve, as the Kageyama brothers were spending the next two days after with their family.

Because business had been booming over the past few months, Reigen splurged. He rented a private room in a restaurant.

Platters of delicious food covered most of the the table.

Although the dinner had started off polite and mostly quiet, half of the table began a debate. Ritsu and Shou were arguing about something. Teru quickly jumped in with his own opinion. Mob and Serizawa watched the match with a hint of amusement. Dimple was in the corner of the room, bored.

'It's been a long crazy year,' Reigen thought. At the start of the year, he only had one employee. Now he had four-plus Shou was like a half of an employee with him occasionally helping his friends out-and whatever Dimple was.

He watched them all with a smile. His expression slipped into a frown. His aura, currently confined to a few inches around him, steadily grew darker, black ink mixing with the orange.

All of them, all of them were powerful psychics, and most of them were still children. They needed a responsible adult in the know about their powers to help them. Wouldn't sealing away his powers be like running away in this situation? It would limit his ability to help them. He was always depending on them when it came to supernatural matters. Shouldn't he become more of a dependable boss? A cacophony of reasons to remain a psychic blasted through the idea of sealing his powers again.

He suddenly grinned, like a person who knew of a private joke.

If they could do it. If his employees could do it and all the former Claw could it. If all of the espers Reigen had met could live with psychic powers. Then, Reigen...Reigen would try. He would give it another shot.

And maybe, he could become someone for real. He would become Arataka Reigen, the world's greatest psychic, head of the Anti-Claw force AKA a bunch of reformed criminal espers, owner of Spirits and Such Consultation.

1,000,000,000 Determination

A/N

Credit to Trinz for the idea of Reigen being an empath. He/She is writing a really cool Psychic Reigen story called A Real (Psychic) Conman. Go check it out.

The cigarette idea is both from the artwork I found for the cover and Mushishi. Credit to both of them.

-Silver


End file.
